Seat-guide cultivator



- March 29 a 1927- J P. SEAHOLM SEAT GUIDE CULTIVATOR Filed' may 22, 19,24

7 Sheets-Sheet l March 29, 1927.

J. P. SEAHOLM SEAT- GUIDE cULTIvAToR Filed May 22, 1924 'f sheets-Sheet vom fav/Z im: G

"LC/DEO March 29, 2.9.27.

1,622,740 J. P. SEAHOLM SEAT GUIDE GULTIVATOR Filed May 22, 1924 '7 Sheets-Sheet, 4

March 29, 1927.

J. P. SEAHOLM SEAT GUIDE CULTIVATOR Filed May 22, 1924 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 March 29 ,I 1927. 1,622,740

J. P. SEAHOLM SEAT GUIDE CULTIVA'IOR Filed May 22, 1924 7 sneetsneet 7 mik/f Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. SEAHOLM, OF MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR. BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

IVIOLINE IMPLEMENT COMPANY, A CORE'OR-ATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEAT-GUIDE CULTIVATOR.

Application filed May 22, 1924. Serial No. 715,123.

The invention relates to a cultivator.

lt relates particularly to a cultivator ot" the seat guide type used ior cultivating corn, cotton and the like.

rlhe general object oit the invention is to provide an improved seat guide cultivator.

A more particular object is to provide an improved pivotal connection between the seat and the guiding pole of a seat guide cultivator.

A further object is to provide an improved pivotal mounting for the scat of a seat guide cultivator.

A further object is to provide an improved means lor varying the distance between the dragI bars ot a cultivator.

A still 'further object is to provide an improved method of i'nounting the drag bar supporting arch ot a cultivator.

Other objects and advantages ot the invention will appear trom the .siiecil'ication and drawings.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of the cultivator.

Figure 2 is an elevation and partial crosssection showing the arch mounting of the cultivator.

Figure 3 is a side elevation and partial section of the cultivator.

Figure 4 is a front elevation and section showing the drag ybar spacing means as viewed from the front of the cultivator.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the drag` bar spacing` means in a different position.

Figure G is a plan View of a portion of the cultivator showing the position of the parts when the cultivator is moving straight ahead.

Figure 7 is a plan view similar to Figure 6 showing the position of the parts when the seat has been swung to one side to changey the direction of the cultivator.

Figure 8 is a cross section illustrating the pivotal mountingof the seat bar.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a part of the bearing of the scat mounting.

Figure 10 is a perspective View of a washer used in the seat bar pivot.

Figure 11 is a cross section of the bearing taken at right angles to the View of Figure 8.

The cultivator comprises, in general, an arched axle 1 on which are journalled the ground wheels 2 and 3. An operators seat 5 is pivotally mounted on the arched axle 1 and pivotally connected to a guiding pole or tongue 6, both pivots being on substantially vertical axes. An arch 7 is supported at the liront end of the cultivator and to this arch are pivotally connected two drag bars 8 and 9 which carry the usual cultiva-ting devices. Each drag` bar is raised and lowered independently by means of adiusting levers 10 and 11 and the two drag bars are raised together by means of a master lever 12. The master lever 12 Vtixed to a transverse shaft 13 that is connected by the links 14 and 15 to the arched axle 1 so that, when the master lever is used to raise the drag bars, the arched axle is swung backward to balance the cultivator. The distance between the drag bars 8 and 9 may be varied by a drag bar spacing means which will be later .described in more detail and which is controlled by the lever 16.

The arched axle is journalled in bearings 2O and 21 to which the .side members 22 and 23 of the trame are connected. These trame members extend forwardly and their forward ends are bent inwardly and fastened to a cross member 24 formed of angle iron. The bent ends of the side members are of such length that the distance between their ends is just equal to the width of the arch 7 so that, when the arch is positioned on the cross member or support 24, it is automatically spaced or located transversely in its proper position by the inner ends of the two side members 22 and 23. The arch 7 is held in position on the support 24 by angle bolts 25 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. These bolts also fasten the U-shapcd bracket 2G to the cross brace 24 as illustrated in Figure 2. The angle bolts 25 are received within slots in the member 24 which prevent them from moving longitudinally of the brace and which position' them properly. Bracing rods 27 and 28 extend from the bearings on the arched axle to the front arch to hold the lower end of the arch 7 in position and to brace the frame.

The guiding pole 6 is pivoted on a pin 29 which extends through the U-shaped bracket 26 and the cross member 24. The guiding pole supports a doubletree 30 pivoted on the axis 31, and depending from its ends are the pendulum members 32 and 33 carrying the swingletrees 34 and 35. The pendulum members 32 and 38 are connected to the arch by the cultivator trame.

by means of links, only one of which, 36, is illustrated.

The connections oit the drag bars-to the arch 7 are similar, one of vthem being-illus trated in Figure 3. The connection comprises a member 37 pivoted to the arch 7 and a second member 3S pivoted to the lirs't on a vertical axis 39. rlhe drag bar is connected to member 38. T his permits the drag bar to be moved in both a horizontal and a vertical plane. y

The 'criltivator is balanced by the master lever 12 which oscillates :the shaft 13. The shaft 13 is journalled in bearings 40 carried Attached to the shaftare'arms41 to which the links 14e and 15 are connected. The links 14- and 15 are connected at their opposite ends tothe wheel bearings on the arched axle 1. l/Vhen the flever'12 is moved, the shalt 13 is oscillated andthe'arched axle 'is shifted backward and forward 'to vary the position ot the cultivator wheels'to balance the cultivator.

The individual adjustments for each drag` bar are controlledby the levers 10 and 11. rlhe sha'tt 13 carries two toothed segments and '4r-3 which Yare lined rigidly to the shait. The 'levers 10 and 11 are pivoted at the points 44 adjacent the bottom ot the sectors and carry latches 45 and 16 arranged to cooperate with the teeth (it their respective sectors. .Flach-o1 these levers carries a hooked plate, both of which are similar and one of which, 48, is clearly illustrated in 'Figure Conneetedto one of the 'hooked ends 19 of this plate is a chain 5() which is connected at its other end in an opening` 51 in the bracket 52 on the drag bar 8. Asimilar chain 53 connects the plate of the lever 11 to the bracket "54 onthe'drag bar 9. A spring 55 is connected at one-end to the other hooked portion 56 ot'plate 48, the other end ol:l the spring being kconnected to a bracket carried by the vcross member 23. One ot these brackets 57 is illustrated on the left hand side of the cultivator in Figure 1. The springs serve tobias thelevers 10 and 11 torwardly and they assistin raising the drag bars.

`It will be clear that each-ofthe levers 10 and 11.1nay be operated independently to raise and lowerl its respective drag bar. lVhen themastcr lever 12 is operated to oscillate vthe sli-att 13, the shalt carries the segments 4t2 and L13 with it and since the levers 10 and 1l are locked to thesegments, these levers are moved and both the drag bars are raised and lowered with the master lever.

The distance between the drag bars may be varied bymeans ot' the lever 16. rilhis lever operates over a tooth segment GO mounted on the arched :axle 1. It carries a latch (i1 co-operatingwith the teeth ot the segment. The segment is braced in position by means ol a link G2 extending forwardly and connected to the pivot pin 29, illustrated in FigA ure'3. lThe lower end olE the lever 16 has au angular extension 63 to which is pivoted a link Gli whica7 in turn, is pivoted at the point 65 to plates 66. Links G7 and 68 are pivoted to the opposite sides of these plate?l and the other ends ot said iinks are pivoted to downwardly extending projections (Si) and on the bearings 20 and 2l. The links 67 and 63 are provided with a series el: holes 71 anl 72 xespectively to receive the connecting bolts oi downwardly extending members 73 and 7st. These members are vbraced against pivotal movement relative to links and (58 b v braces 7 5 and 7o. The series oli holes 71 and 72 `provide means ifor normally spacing the members 73 and 74 at diil'erent distances apart. The members 73 and '71 extend loosely through openings 77 and'78 in Athe members and 5d, respectively, which are carried by the drag bars 8 and L9. 'lllie openings 7.7 and 78 are sulliciently large to permit the drag` bars to be moved up and down without interference from the members 73 and 74e.

lli/Then the drag bars occupy their normal position7 the spacing mechanism occupiesthe position illustrated in Figure et. l-Vlren the operator desires to bring the drag bars closer together, he pulls backwardly on the lever 1G which moves the toggle links upwardly from the position ot Figure to that ot Figure 5. This swings the drag bars closer together. l'the desire to move the drag bars farther apart he moves vthe lever 16 in the opposite direction.

The drag bar spacing means not only serves to vary the distance between the drag bars but it also serves to prevent the 'drag bars from moving laterally relative tothe cultivator trame. lt is desirable in a cultivator ot this type to have the drag bars held against lateral movement relative to the trame so that they cannot move laterally except as the cultivator is guided vby movements ot the operators seat.

rlhe drag bars 8 and 9 are held against lateral movement by the members 73 aud74. Referring to Figure 4, it will be evident that the members 73 and 7K1- cannot move laterally together because the links are pivoted to the projections 69 and 70 in the trame. The menibers 73 and 74 cannot move relative to one another unless the lever 1G operated to move the toggle links ('37 and ('38. "her-etore, unless the operator moves the lever 1G the 'whole `lever construction, together with the drag bars, is locked rigidly in position. This is true whether the .parts occupy the position of Figure l or that oir-Figure rwo functions are thus performed by one mechanismu that is, the same mechanism that serves to vary the distance betweenthe drag bars also serves to hold them against lateral movement relative to the cultivator. It should also be noted that a spacing means has been provided which is located ahead of the arched axle where it is out of the way. Also a spacing means has been provided which is carried by the cultivator frame, the drag bars being movable relative to the spacing means and without interference from it.

Vhen a cultivator is guided by the seat, the-seat bars must not only pivot relative to the arched axle, but some provision must be made for a sliding connection. In .some cultivators the sliding connection is made between the seat bars and the guiding pole. There are many disadvantages to such a connection, however, among which are that it frequently becomes loose so that the cultivator is not instantly responsive to movements of the seat and furthermore some bracing means must be provided to absorb the upward thrust caused by the weight of the operator. Usually, some kind of across bar is provided on the frame and rollers are used to take the upward thrust and still permit the seat bars to move from one side to the other. These difficulties have been avoided in the present construction by providing a tight pivotal connection between the seatV bars and the guiding pole and by taking care of the sliding action by making the seat bars movable on the arched axle.

No bracing means is required for the pivotal connections because of the construction that is employed.

Theseat 5 is carried by a seat supporting member having two spaced arms 8O and 81 which extend forwardly over the arched axle 1, the forward ends being connected to a pivot block 82. The pivot block has two cone-shaped pivots 83 and 84 over which fit the socket members 85 and 86 having tapered openings fitting over the conical pivots and having squared portions fitting into squared openings in the spaced guiding pole straps 87 and 88. The socket members have flanges 89 and 90 forming shoulders against which the straps 87 and 88 bear and a bolt 91 extends between the two straps. By tightening the nut on the bolt 91 the two socket members 85 and 86 can be forced tightly on the cone-shaped pivots to take up any wear that may occur in the pivotal connection, or to adjust or loosen it as the case may be. The straps 87 and 88 extend forwardly on opposite sides of the guiding pole 6 and they are bolted to it at points 92 and 93.

This construction for the pivotal connection between the seat bars and the guiding pole makes it unnecessary to have a cross brace or other means to support the pivot in order to make it withstand the upward thrust due to the weight of the operator. The two widely separated pivots with the connection of the seat bar to the pivot pin between its ends cause some of the upward thrust .to be transformed into a longitudinal thrust on the lower side and a longitudinal pull or stress on the upper side. The wear on thesocket members 85 and 86 will thus tend to be greater on the forward side of 86 and the rear side of 85. This wear can be taken up by tightening the bolt 91. Also the sockets 85 and 86 can be taken out of the square openings in straps 87 and 88, turned ,Il/1 1/2 or Q of a revolution and reinserted to equalize the wear. The pivot block 82 can also be removed, turned through 180 degrees, and rebolted in place with the pivot 83 point-ing downward and the pivot 84 pointing upward. These many adjustments for the pivotal connection make it an easy matter to keep the pivot tight at all times and to make the wear uniform. With the connection tight, the culivator is instantly responsive to movements of the seat which is not the case with some types in which, after the cultivator has been in use and worn slightly, permit the seat to be moved from two to six inches before any guiding action is secured. Furthermore, the absence of cross braces, rollers, etc., to support the piv-` otal connection to enable it to take the vertical thrust due to the weight of the operator, simplifies the construction and decreases the friction.

The seat pivot is illustrated in detail in Figures 8 to 11, inclusive. Fixed to the arched axle 1 is a bearing block 94 which is held in position by the bolt 95 and a clamping member 96. On the upper surface of the bearing block is a' circular boss 97 on top of which is a squared projection 98. Fitting over the circular boss 97 is a rectangular washer 99 illustrated in Figure 10. The seat bars 80 and 81 are bolted to a U- shaped member 100, the armslOl and 102,

of which are astride the washer 99. The bot-` tom side of the arms of this U-shaped bracket are broadened out and bear on the top surface of the bearing block 94 as shown in Figure 11.

The toothed segment 60 fits over the squared projection 98 on the bearing block and the segment is made sufficiently wide to extend over a portion of the arms 101 and 102 of the U-shaped member 100, so that the bolt 95 serves to hold the segment 60 in position and it, in turn, holds the U-shaped member on the bearing block. The head of the bolt 95 bears against the top of the squared projection 98 so that, while the parts are hel-d in position, the U-shaped member 100 can slide back and forth.

The pivotal and sliding connection of the seat bar to the crank axle has been made unusually simple and it serves as a mounting for the sector 60 as well. The bearing surface of the U-shaped member 100 on the bearing block 94 is quite broad and the sides of ithe fUJ-shaped =mcmber l10() ydo not Ibear against the iroundfprojection 97-t'o thereby Wear slots `in .its side. 'They Ibear fagainst the "Washer 99. The washer absorbs theatriction :of the sliding motion, is made vrelatively hard, and Willnoteasilyfwear out, but, if it should Wear, it can easily bereplaced.

AIt should alsolbe 'observed tfhatthe brackets 52 and 54 serve three useful purposes. They serve as a connection for the Achains 50 and 53 ,they also Vact 4as a connecting means between the members'73 and 74 of the drag bar spacing means; landthey further serve asconnections for the foot lrests 103 land 104.

.Itis to-be understood that the vstructure shown is ior purposesV of illustration only, and that variations mayy be made inL it'without departing from they spirit and'scopeof the =invention,'as :defined by the claims.

I iclaim:

ln-A cultivator having a wheeled frame including an varched axle, dragbarspivotcd at their yforward ends to move both laterally and Averticallyon stationary pivots carried bythe frame, a drag bar spacing means connected'to Isaid frame and :to the drag bars so las vto permit the Ilatter to move reely in a vVertical direction Ibut acting to `prevent them from mov-ing laterally, vand a 4lever mechanism mounted on the arched axle and connected to the drag bar spacing meansfor operatingfit to move the drag bars to `and from one another.

2. :A cultivator having a wheeled frame, drag barspivoted at'their forward ends to move both laterally and vertically on stationary pivots carifiedby the fi-fame, `a iguidingfpole, 'aseat supporting ymember fpivotetl to thefcultivator ona substantially vertical axis and larrying an operators seat, Vpivotal connections between saith-member and .the guiding .pole for causing lateralmovement ofthe operators seat-tor guide4 the cultivator, a drag l'bar spacing fmeans connecting the Jframe and the drag bars for preventing-the drag bars from moving laterally relative *to the cultivator so thatt-he drag bars 'will ziolloW the movements-of 7the 'cultivator -When guided by the seat, and meansor operating said spacing means vto i vary 4the distance between 'the drag bars.

3. A cultivator having. a Wheeled frame, dragbars supported-thereby,a scat supporting member `pivotally lconnected-'to the cultivator on a Vsubstantially vertical Iaxis and connected to the .guiding Apole `to steer the cultivator, a'drag bar spacing means, Vand a lever mechanism for controlling said spacing means, said lever mechanismincluding 4a sector `forming a .portion 'ofthe pivotal 'connection ofthe eat memberto-the-cultivator- 4. A cultivator having a Wheeled fframe, drag bars supported 'by said cultivator, an operators seat having a pivotal connection to the cultivat'or 4so that it can be swung about a vertical aXiszto-steer the .cultivator, a drag bar spacing means, and aflever mechani snifor controlling the spacing means, said levell mechanism also forming a portion of the pivotal connection ofthe operators seat to the cultivator.

lntestimony whereol'aiiixfmy signature.

JOHN P. SEA-HOLM. 

